JP2022176185A - Rotation of array of dispensing pumps to enable simultaneous dispensing with multiple dispensing pumps on multiple electronic substrates - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate parallel dispensing operations of multiple dispensing pumps in a dispensing system for dispensing a viscous material onto an electronic substrate.

SOLUTION: A dispensing system for dispensing a viscous material onto an electronic substrate comprises: first and second dispensing pump arrays which supply viscous materials to each of first and second electronic substrates; a gantry which moves the first and second dispensing pump arrays in X-axis and Y-axis directions and rotates them at mutually different angles; a vision system which images a fiducial mark of each of the first and second electronic substrates; and a controller which controls the first and second pump arrays, gantry and vision system. The controller analyzes a photographed image, obtains the positions of the first and second electronic substrates in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction and a θ direction, calculates the rotation angles of the first and second electronic substrates, and rotates the first and second dispensing pump arrays so as to match the angle of each of the first and second electronic substrates.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

This disclosure relates generally to apparatus and methods for dispensing viscous materials onto substrates, e.g., printed circuit boards, and more particularly to dispensing materials simultaneously onto one or more substrates with increased efficiency and precision. It relates to a method and apparatus for feeding.

There are several types of delivery systems used to deliver precise amounts of liquids or pastes for various applications. One such application is the assembly of integrated circuit chips and other electronic components onto substrates of circuit boards. In this application, an automated dispensing system is used to dispense dots of liquid epoxy or solder paste or some other related material onto a printed circuit board. Automated feed systems are also used to feed lines of underfill and encapsulant material, which can be used to mechanically secure components to printed circuit boards. Exemplary feed systems described above include feed systems manufactured and marketed by Illinois Tool Works Electronic Assembly Equipment (ITWEAE), Inc. having offices in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

In a typical feed system, servo motors controlled by a computer system or controller are used to move the feed pump along three mutually orthogonal axes (X, Y, Z). A pump is attached to the gantry, which is a moving assembly. To deliver a dot of liquid to a desired location on a printed circuit board or other substrate, the feed pumps are moved in coplanar horizontal X and Y directions until the feed pump is positioned over the desired location. moved along. The feed pump is then lowered along the vertically oriented vertical Z-axis until the feed pump and nozzle/needle of the feed system are at the proper feed height above the substrate. The feed pump dispenses a dot of liquid, is then raised along the Z axis, moved to a new position along the X and Y axes, and lowered along the Z axis to dispense the next dot of liquid. do. For applications such as underfill encapsulation or delivery as described above, the feed pump is typically moved in the X and Y axes along the desired path of the line of material. is controlled to supply this line as For some types of feed pumps, such as injection pumps, Z-axis movement before and after the feed operation may not be required.

The production speed of such feed systems may, in some instances, be limited by the speed at which a particular feed pump can accurately and controllably dispense a dot or line of material. In other cases, the production speed of such systems may be limited by the speed at which parts can be loaded and unloaded from the machine. In yet other cases, the production speed of such systems is driven by process requirements such as the time required to heat the substrate to a particular temperature or, in the case of underfill applications, the time required for the supplied material to flow. may be limited by

During the manufacture of electronic circuit assemblies, sometimes referred to as printed circuit board assemblies, manufacturing requirements often exceed the throughput capabilities of a single feed system. To overcome the throughput limitations of a single feed system, various strategies have been applied to improve the manufacturing process, often by allowing multiple operations to be performed in parallel. For example, US Pat. Nos. 7,833,572, 7,923,056, 8,230,805 and 9,374,905 each relate to systems and methods for simultaneously feeding materials using feed systems having multiple feed units. These US patents are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. The systems and methods disclosed in these patents use adjustable brackets or control the XY position of one feed pump relative to another before or during a feed operation. It teaches adjusting the spacing between adjacent supply units by . Such systems are versatile and can be well adapted to a variety of delivery applications. However, the mechanical and electrical complexity of such systems may become impractical or costly when applied to more than two supply pumps.

In the manufacture of commercial electronic assemblies such as large consumer electronics, electronic circuit boards are often fabricated with multiple instances of a particular circuit present on a single circuit board. For example, a single printed circuit panel may have four identical circuit patterns evenly spaced apart. A repeating pattern of multiple circuits is suitable for simultaneous application on more than one circuit at a time. Depending on the distance between the patterns, place the two feed pumps close enough together to feed on adjacent circuits, e.g. first on circuits #1, #2, then #3, #4. It may be impractical to do so. However, the same advantage can be realized by supplying circuits #1, #3 first and then #2, #4. However, it is observed that any rotation of the substrate in the XY plane will result in a change in the relative XY position of the two patterns provided. Therefore, the relative spacing between two (or more) feed pumps must be adjusted to match the spacing of the substrates if two or more patterns are to be delivered simultaneously and accurately. Alternatively, the substrate can be rotated to match the array of supply pumps.

A goal of the present disclosure is to facilitate parallel feed operation of multiple feed pumps in a scalable and practical manner.

One aspect of the present disclosure is transferring an electronic substrate to a supply position, the electronic substrate having at least two identical patterns and at least two fiducial marks; capturing at least one image of one fiducial mark; analyzing at least one image to determine the position of the electronic substrate in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ direction; and determining the rotation angle of the electronic substrate. and rotating a feed pump array to match the angle of an electronic substrate.

Embodiments of the method may further include performing simultaneous dispense operations on at least two identical patterns using the dispense pump array. The feed pump array may comprise first and second feed pumps, the second feed pump being separated from the first feed pump by a predetermined distance. The method can further include supplying material from the first and second supply pumps to the first location of each of the first and second patterns of the at least two identical patterns. The method includes simultaneously moving a first supply pump over a second location of a first pattern of the electronic substrate and a second supply pump over a second location of the second pattern. and supplying material from the first and second supply pumps to the second locations of each of the first and second patterns. Feeding the material from the first feed pump can include lowering the first feed pump toward a first of the at least two identical patterns, and feeding the material from the second feed pump. can include lowering a second supply pump toward a second of the at least two identical patterns. Rotating the feed pump array can include adjusting the second feed pump using the XY adjustment mechanism. The feed pump array can be aligned with respect to the electronic substrate in a single rotational degree of freedom, and for a delivery system comprising multiple electronic substrates and multiple feed pump arrays, each feed pump array has its corresponding It can be aligned with the electronic substrate. If multiple feed pump arrays are used, each feed pump array can be rotated at a different angle than the other feed pump arrays to match the target electronic substrate. Each feed pump array can be dynamically moved to adjust the relative spacing between multiple feed pump arrays during a feed operation.

Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a dispensing system for dispensing viscous material onto an electronic substrate. In one embodiment, the delivery system comprises a frame and a support coupled to the frame. The support is configured to receive an electronic substrate. The electronic board has at least two identical patterns and at least two fiducial marks. The feed system is a feed pump array that feeds the viscous material and a gantry coupled to the frame that moves the feed pump array in the X and Y directions and rotates the feed pump array; It further comprises a gantry and a vision system coupled to one of the frame and the gantry to capture images of at least one of the at least two fiducial marks provided on the electronic board. The delivery system further comprises a controller that controls the delivery pump array, gantry and vision system to perform delivery operations on the electronic board. The controller analyzes at least one image to determine the position of the electronic board in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ direction, calculates the rotation angle of the electronic board, rotates the supply pump array, and rotates the electronic board. is further configured to accommodate the angle of

Embodiments of the dispense system can further include configuring the controller to perform simultaneous dispense operations on at least two identical patterns using the dispense pump array. The feed pump array may comprise first and second feed pumps, the second feed pump being separated from the first feed pump by a predetermined distance. The controller may be further configured to supply material from the first and second supply pumps to the first location of each of the first and second patterns of the at least two identical patterns. The feed system concurrently moves the first feed pump over the second position of the first pattern of the electronic substrate and the second feed pump over the second position of the second pattern. and supplying material from the first and second supply pumps to the second locations of each of the first and second patterns. Feeding the material from the first feed pump can include lowering the first feed pump toward a first of the at least two identical patterns, and feeding the material from the second feed pump. can include lowering a second supply pump toward a second of the at least two identical patterns. Rotating the feed pump array can include adjusting the second feed pump using the XY adjustment mechanism. The feed pump arrays may be aligned with respect to the electronic substrate in a single rotational degree of freedom, and for a delivery system comprising multiple electronic substrates and multiple feed pump arrays, each feed pump array may be aligned with its corresponding It can be aligned with the electronic board. When multiple feed pump arrays are used, each feed pump array can be rotated at a different angle than the other feed pump arrays to match the target electronic substrate. Each feed pump array can be dynamically moved to adjust the relative spacing between multiple feed pump arrays during a feed operation.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is transferring an electronic substrate to a supply position, the electronic substrate having at least two identical patterns and at least two fiducial marks; capturing at least one image of at least two fiducial marks; analyzing at least one image to determine the position of the electronic board in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ direction; and rotating the electronic board. A method of dispensing material, including calculating an angle and rotating an electronic board to match the angle of a supply pump array.

Embodiments of the method may further include performing simultaneous dispense operations on at least two identical patterns using the dispense pump array. The feed pump array may comprise first and second feed pumps, the second feed pump being separated from the first feed pump by a predetermined distance. The method can further include supplying material from the first and second supply pumps to the first location of each of the first and second patterns of the at least two identical patterns. The method includes simultaneously moving a first supply pump over a second location of a first pattern of the electronic substrate and a second supply pump over a second location of the second pattern. and supplying material from the first and second supply pumps to the second locations of each of the first and second patterns. Feeding the material from the first feed pump can include lowering the first feed pump toward a first of the at least two identical patterns, and feeding the material from the second feed pump. can include lowering a second supply pump toward a second of the at least two identical patterns. Rotating the electronic board can include rotating a base that supports the electronic board. The feed pump array is aligned with respect to the electronic substrate in a single rotational degree of freedom, and for a delivery system comprising multiple electronic substrates and multiple feed pump arrays, each feed pump array is aligned with its corresponding electronic substrate. can be aligned.

Various aspects of at least one embodiment are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These figures are not intended to be drawn to scale. The figures are intended to illustrate and provide a further understanding of various aspects and embodiments, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this application, but are intended to limit any particular embodiment. not. The drawings, together with the rest of the specification, explain the principles and operation of the claimed features and the embodiments described below. In the accompanying drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is designated by the same reference numeral. Not every component is labeled in every figure for the sake of clarity.

1 is a schematic side view of a delivery system; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a feed system of one embodiment of the present disclosure used to carry out the method of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a feed system of one embodiment of the present disclosure used to carry out the method of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the delivery system of the present disclosure used to carry out the method of the present disclosure;

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to viscous material delivery systems, devices including delivery systems. Embodiments disclosed herein relate to techniques for supplying material onto electronic substrates by a feed system having multiple feed pumps that feed onto multiple electronic substrates simultaneously.

By way of example only and not by way of limitation of generality, the disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure, with respect to its applications, is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The principles described in this disclosure are available in other embodiments and can be practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Any reference to examples, embodiments, components, elements or acts of systems and methods referred to herein as the singular can also encompass embodiments comprising the plural, and herein Any reference to any embodiment, component, element or act as in the plural can also encompass embodiments including only the singular. References in singular or plural are not intended to limit the systems or methods, their components, acts or elements disclosed herein. The use of the terms "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," "with," and variations thereof herein herein precludes It is meant to cover the described article, as well as equivalents and additional articles. References to "or/or" mean that any term stated with "or/or" refers to any of the singular, one or more, and all of the terms described. can be construed as inclusive such that it can include In addition, where the usage of terms is inconsistent between this specification and a document that is incorporated by reference, the usage of terms in a document that is incorporated herein shall be Supplementary to the usage herein, where the inconsistency is inconsistent, the usage of the terms herein is valid.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a delivery system, generally indicated at 10, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The delivery system 10 applies a viscous material (e.g., adhesive, encapsulant, epoxy, solder paste, underfill material, etc.) or semi-viscous material (e.g., solder flux, etc.) onto an electronic substrate 12, such as a printed circuit board or semiconductor wafer. ). The delivery system 10 may alternatively be used in other applications, such as for applying automotive gasket materials, or for certain medical applications, or for applying conductive inks. As used herein, it should be understood that references to viscous or semi-viscous materials are intended to be exemplary and non-limiting. The feed system 10 comprises an array of feed units, eg, a first feed unit and a second feed unit, generally indicated at 14, 16, respectively, and a controller 18 for controlling the operation of the feed system. It should be understood that the feed unit may also be referred to herein as a feed pump and/or a feed head. Although two supply units are shown, it should be understood that an array of supply units can comprise more than two of the supply units shown and described throughout this disclosure.

The feed system 10 also includes a frame 20 having a base or support 22 for supporting the electronic board 12 and a feed unit gantry movably coupled to the frame 20 for supporting and moving the feed units 14,16. 24 and a weighing device or scale 26 that weighs the dispensed amount of viscous material and provides weight data to the controller 18, for example as part of a calibration procedure. Other transport mechanisms, such as a conveyor system (not shown) or moving beams, may be used in feed system 10 to control loading and unloading of electronic substrates from the feed system. The gantry 24 can be moved using motors under the control of the controller 18 to position the supply units 14, 16 at predetermined positions above the electronic boards. The delivery system 10 may include a display unit 28 connected to the controller 18 for displaying various information to the operator. An optional second controller may be provided to control the supply unit. Also, each supply unit 14, 16 can use a Z-axis sensor to detect the height at which the supply unit is positioned above the electronic board 12 or components mounted on the electronic board. The Z-axis sensor is coupled to controller 18 and relays information obtained by the sensor to the controller.

Before performing a feeding operation, as described above, the substrate, eg the printed circuit board, must be aligned or otherwise aligned with respect to the feeding unit of the feeding system. The delivery system further comprises a vision system 30, which in one embodiment is coupled to a vision system gantry 32 which is movably framed for supporting and moving the vision system. 20. In another embodiment, vision system 30 may be provided on feed unit gantry 24 . As noted above, the vision system 30 is utilized to collate the locations of landmarks, or components, known as fiducials, on the electronic board. Once located, the controller can be programmed to operate movement of one or more of the feed units 14, 16 to dispense material onto the electronic substrate.

The systems and methods of the present disclosure relate to dispensing materials onto electronic substrates, such as printed circuit boards. The descriptions of the systems and methods provided herein refer to an exemplary electronic substrate 12 (eg, printed circuit board) supported on support 22 of delivery system 10 . In one embodiment, feeding operations are controlled by controller 18, which may include a computer system that controls the material feeding unit. In another embodiment, controller 18 may be operated by an operator. Controller 18 is configured to manipulate movement of vision system gantry 32 to move the vision system to acquire one or more images of electronic board 12 . Controller 18 is further configured to manipulate movement of supply unit gantry 24 to move supply units 14, 16 to perform supply operations.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide alternatives and advantages to accurately distributing onto one or more electronic substrates at the same time, or onto two or more patterns associated with a single electronic substrate. provide a means of The methods disclosed herein further support the use of various types of feed pumps including, but not limited to, auger, piston and injection pumps.

In one embodiment, two or more arrays of feed pumps are attached to a common bracket or support assembly to form an assembled array of feed pumps, hereinafter referred to as a feed pump array or pump array. be. The relative spacing between individual feed pumps of the feed pump array is adjusted manually or automatically to match the relative spacing between substrate patterns to be fed. The feed pump array is attached to a mechanism capable of rotating the feed pump array relative to the X-Y axis of the positioning system in the XY plane. The feed pump array may or may not be vertically positioned by the Z-axis relative to one or more electronic boards by a gantry drive system and then positioned in the X-axis and Y-axis positions.

Systems constructed or arranged according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured to use two or more theta-driven pump arrays on a common gantry drive system. If two pump arrays are used on one delivery system, an XY adjustment mechanism can be used to adjust the relative spacing between the two pump arrays. If more than two pump arrays are utilized on one system, multiple XY adjustment mechanisms can be used to adjust the relative spacing between the pump arrays.

Certain set-up steps should be performed prior to manufacturing operation of the delivery system. For example, referring to FIG. 2, a feed pump array generally designated 40 is shown having two feed pumps designated 42,44. and an electronic substrate, generally indicated at 46, comprising four identical patterns 48A (“pattern 1”), 48B (“pattern 2”), 48C (“pattern 3”), 48D (“pattern 4”); Each pattern has a known A point and a known B point. The electronic board 46 further comprises a first fiducial mark F1, a second fiducial mark F2 and a third fiducial mark F3. One method of implementing co-feeding on the electronics board 46 involves determining the spatial spacing or pitch between each of the four patterns 48A, 48B, 48C, 48D. This pitch can be measured from a sample electronic substrate, or this data can be known from design data.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, pitch can be measured from known points A, B on patterns 48 A, 48 B, 48 C, 48 D of electronic substrate 46 . Specifically, pitch can be measured between adjacent patterns on substrate 46, eg, between known points AA or between known points BB between patterns 48A and 48B. Of these two methods of determining pitch, design data may be more accurate than measurements from specific electronic boards that may have their own specific variations from an ideal or perfect electronic board. is often preferred. Once the pattern pitch is known, the spacing S between the feed pumps 42 and 44 of the feed pump array 40 is adjusted accordingly to establish the predetermined distance. In this example, the supply pump interval S is adjusted to twice the pattern pitch.

This arrangement may be more practical to achieve than setting the feed pump spacing S to one pattern pitch interval, especially if the pattern pitch is close to or less than the feed pump width. This process of adjusting the pump-to-pump spacing S can be accomplished either manually or automatically, and can include calibrating the actual feed position of each feed pump 42, 44 to a machine vision system, such as the vision system 30. This calibration is sometimes referred to as "teaching camera-to-nozzle offsets".

Additional setup steps include creating a program or process recipe that specifies the amount and location of material to be dispensed onto each pattern 48A, 48B, 48C, 48D of electronic substrate 46. FIG. The information for generating this process recipe can be specified from design data, or this information can be "taught" from a particular electronic board. This process recipe includes alignment sensing and calibration (e.g., when and where to perform surface height "Z-sense" calibration), weight calibration (e.g., monitoring feed pump output). and how to calibrate and when to do this), temperature control (e.g. waiting for the electronic substrate to be in the heating zone for 20 seconds before starting the dispense), timing of dispense operations (e.g. certain deposition After that, wait 30 seconds before performing the next deposition).

Once the machine (feed system) and program set-up steps are complete, the machine's manufacturing operations can begin as follows. An electronic board is mounted at a predetermined position within the delivery system. Typical mechanisms for loading electronic boards include, but are not limited to, conveyor systems that can employ one or more conveyor lanes.

Referring now to FIG. 3, electronic board 46 is located using a machine vision system, such as vision system 30 shown in FIG. This typically takes images of alignment features such as fiducial marks F1, F2, F3, etc., and then analyzes these images to determine the position (in XY and θ) of the electronic board. achieved by Once the rotation angle of the electronics board 46 is calculated, the feed pump array 40 is rotated in θ to match the angle of the electronics board. In other words, the alignment of the first and second feed pumps 42 , 44 of the feed pump array 40 are aligned or parallel to the alignment of the patterns 48 A, 48 B, 48 C, 48 D of the electronic substrate 46 . In conventional systems, such as the system disclosed in US Pat. No. 9,374,905, adjustment of the second feed pump 44 relative to the first feed pump 42 is accomplished using an XY adjustment mechanism. This approach works well for systems with two feed pumps.

Specifically, in one embodiment, the supply unit gantry 24 may be configured with a beam extending between two side rails. This beam is configured to move in the Y-axis direction along the side rails to achieve Y-axis movement of the feed pump array 40 . X-axis movement of the feed pump array 40 is accomplished by a carriage device mounted on the beam. Specifically, the carriage device supports the supply pump array 40 and beams in the X-axis to move the supply unit over the desired position of the substrate 12 positioned on the base portion 22 of the dispenser 10 . is configured to move along the width of the In certain embodiments, movement of the supply unit gantry 24 in the XY plane (i.e., movement of the beam and carriage device) is achieved by ball screw mechanisms driven by respective motors or other devices known in the art. It can be accomplished by utilizing other linear motion drive components as known.

Feed pump 42 and feed pump 44 are coupled to the carriage device by linear bearings fixed to the carriage device. In one embodiment, feed pump 42 is fixedly fixed to the linear bearing and feed pump 44 is coupled to the linear bearing by a self-adjusting mechanism. The feed pump 44 can be fixed to the linear bearing and the feed pump 42 can be coupled to the auto-adjusting mechanism, or both feed pumps 42, 44 can be coupled to the auto-adjusting mechanism. , is to be understood to fall within the scope of this disclosure. In certain embodiments, feed pump 42 and feed pump 44 may be offset from each other by a distance such that the automatic adjustment mechanism moves the second feed unit by a relatively small distance in the X and Y directions. is configured to adjust this distance by moving the . In another embodiment, the mounting assemblies associated with feed pumps 42, 44 are each configured to allow Z-axis movement of the feed pumps.

Once configured, the feed system controller (e.g., controller 18 of feed system 10) uses feed pumps 42, 44 of feed pump array 40 to perform simultaneous dispense operations on at least two identical patterns of electronic substrate 46. configured to run. Specifically, referring to the arrangement shown in FIG. 3, the feed pump array 40 positions the first feed pump 42 above the first position A of pattern 48A and the first position A of pattern 48C. Above position A is moved to position the second feed pump 44 . During the feed operation, the feed pump array 40 simultaneously positions the first feed pump 42 over the second position B of the pattern 48A and the second feed pump 44 over the second position B of the pattern 48C. Moved into position, material is dispensed from first and second feed pumps of the feed pump array onto patterns 48A, 48C of the electronic substrate. In some embodiments, during dispensing, first feed pump 42 is lowered toward pattern 48A and second feed pump 44 is lowered toward pattern 48C. The lowering of the first and second feed pumps 42, 44 of the feed pump array 40 can occur simultaneously.

Similarly, to feed onto pattern 48B and pattern 48D of electronic substrate 46, feed pump array 40 positions first feed pump 42 above a first position A of pattern 48B and a first position A of pattern 48D. Moved to position the second feed pump 44 above the first position A; During the feed operation, the feed pump array 40 simultaneously positions the first feed pump 42 over the second position B of the pattern 48B and the second feed pump 44 over the second position B of the pattern 48D. Moved into position, material is dispensed from first and second feed pumps of the feed pump array onto patterns 48B, 48D of the electronic substrate.

In the present disclosure, feed pumps 42, 44 of feed pump array 40 are aligned with electronics board 46 in a single rotational degree of freedom. Referring to FIG. 4, for delivery systems in which multiple electronic boards 46 and multiple pumps 44 are utilized, the same alignment process is used to align each of the pump arrays with each corresponding electronic board. When multiple pump arrays 40 are used, each pump array also has a target electronic substrate 46A, 46B, as the electronic substrate may be oriented at different angles when positioned within the electronic substrate support system. can be rotated by different angles from each other to match the When multiple pump arrays 40 are aligned at such different angles to the electronic substrate, the relative spacing between corresponding features on each of the multiple electronic substrates 46 will depend on the location of the features within the electronic substrate. XY adjustment mechanism can be used to dynamically adjust the relative spacing between feed pump arrays during various feed operations.

As clearly shown in FIG. 4, the feed paths from A to B on the first electronics board 46A are not parallel to the corresponding feed paths from A to B on the second electronics board 46B. . Due to the difference between these two paths, to ensure that each feed pump array remains properly aligned with the desired path on the electronics board 46A, 46B, the two feed pump arrays 40A, 40B The distance between will have to be adjusted during the feed movement.

Although the illustrated rotation angles are greatly exaggerated for clarity, even very small rotation angles, on the order of milliradians (Mrad) or less, can result in lateral offset, and this offset Note that , if left uncorrected, can be detrimental to the supply process.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a substrate conveyor is configured to mount substrate carriers containing two or more electronic substrates. Two or more electronic boards may each be at their own angle of rotation, and separate angular alignment may be required for these electronic boards.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, one substrate conveyor loads and unloads electronic substrates to two or more separate feed positions. For example, a first electronic board is mounted in a first supply position and a second electronic board is mounted in a second supply position. A machine vision system is then used to locate each of the two electronic boards for subsequent delivery.

In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronics board can be rotated into alignment with the supply pump array 40. FIG. A significant advantage of this approach is that the theta adjustment mechanism does not need to be carried by the XY motion system as part of the moving payload. Specifically, the base portion 22 of the dispenser 10 can be manipulated to position the electronic board 12 rather than adjusting the position of the feed pumps 42 , 44 of the feed pump array 40 . The feed pumps 42, 44 may be fixed relative to each other and the base 22 of the dispenser 10 may be rotated to a desired position prior to performing a dispensing operation with the feed pump array 40 and It can be moved in the X and Y directions for different positioning. One such mechanism for adjusting the substrate support can be found in US Pat. No. 7,861,650, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

Specifically, in one embodiment, the base portion 22 includes a table that works in conjunction with a support that supports the electronic substrate 12 in the feed position. The table is configured to be moved by the vision system 30 to align the electronic substrate 12 placed on the support with the supply pump array 40 . In one embodiment, the table comprises four ball bearings adapted to rest on top of a machined surface provided on top of frame 20 of dispenser 10 . Dispenser 10 includes three movement mechanisms that move the table so that electronic substrate 12 is moved into alignment. The moving mechanisms may be identical in configuration, in which the first and third moving mechanisms are configured to move the table in the Y-axis direction, and the second moving mechanism is configured to move the Y It is configured to move the table axially. The first and third movement mechanisms may be spaced apart from each other, with a second movement mechanism disposed therebetween in a direction transverse to the direction of the first and third mechanisms. This arrangement is achieved under the control of controller 18 by manipulating movement mechanisms to rotate the table of base 22 in the X and Y directions as well as rotate the table to the desired position. It is like being

In another alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, two or more electronic boards can be independently rotated into alignment with the supply pump array.

Another embodiment further includes an XY adjustment mechanism for adjusting the spacing between two or more electronic boards. By aligning two or more electronic boards relative to each other rotationally and in the XY directions, a plurality of separate electronic boards are aligned with, and by means of, a single array of feed pumps. A significant advantage can be realized in that it can be provided on an electronic board.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this disclosure, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are exemplary only.

10 dispenser 12 electronic board 14 supply unit 16 supply unit 18 controller 20 frame 22 support 24 gantry 26 scale 28 display unit 30 vision system 32 vision system gantry 40 supply pump array 40A supply pump array 40B supply pump array 42 first supply Pump 44 Second supply pump 46 Electronic board 46A First electronic board 46B Second electronic board

Claims (20)

In the material supply method,
transporting an electronic substrate having at least two identical patterns and at least two fiducial marks to a supply position;
capturing at least one image of the at least two fiducial marks provided on the electronic substrate;
analyzing the at least one image to determine the position of the electronic substrate in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ direction;
calculating the rotation angle of the electronic substrate;
A material feed method comprising rotating a feed pump array to match the angle of the electronic substrate. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing simultaneous dispense operations on said at least two identical patterns using said dispense pump array. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said feed pump array comprises first and second feed pumps, said second feed pump being spaced a predetermined distance from said first feed pump. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising supplying material from the first and second supply pumps to the first location of each of the first and second patterns of the at least two identical patterns. Simultaneously move the first supply pump above the second location of the first pattern of the electronic substrate and the second supply pump above the second location of the second pattern of the electronic substrate. and supplying material from the first and second feed pumps to the second locations of each of the first and second patterns. supplying material from the first supply pump includes lowering the first supply pump toward a first of the at least two identical patterns; 4. The method of claim 3, wherein feeding material comprises lowering the second feed pump toward a second one of the at least two identical patterns. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein rotating the feed pump array includes adjusting the second feed pump using an XY adjustment mechanism. The feed pump array is aligned with the electronic substrate in a single rotational degree of freedom, and if the feed system comprises multiple electronic boards and multiple feed pump arrays, each feed pump array has its corresponding 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is aligned with an electronic substrate. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein when multiple feed pump arrays are used, each feed pump array rotates at a different angle than the other feed pump arrays to match the target electronic substrate. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein each feed pump array is dynamically moved to adjust relative spacing between the plurality of feed pump arrays during feed operations. In a feed system for feeding a viscous material onto an electronic substrate,
a frame;
a support coupled to the frame and configured to receive an electronic substrate having at least two identical patterns and at least two fiducial marks;
a supply pump array for supplying viscous material;
a gantry coupled to the frame for moving and rotating the feed pump array in the X and Y directions;
a vision system coupled to one of the frame and the gantry for capturing at least one image of the at least two fiducial marks provided on the electronic board;
a controller for controlling the feed pump array, the gantry and the vision system to perform a feed operation to the electronic board, the controller analyzing the at least one image to determine the position of the electronic board; in the X-axis, Y-axis and θ-directions, calculates the rotation angle of the electronic board, and rotates the supply pump array to match the angle of the electronic board. 12. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to perform simultaneous dispensing operations on the at least two identical patterns using the dispensing pump array. 13. The feed system of claim 12, wherein said feed pump array comprises first and second feed pumps, said second feed pump being spaced a predetermined distance from said first feed pump. 14. The controller of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to supply material from the first and second supply pumps to the first location of each of the first and second patterns of the at least two identical patterns. The feeding system described. In the material supply method,
transporting an electronic substrate having at least two identical patterns and at least two fiducial marks to a supply position;
capturing at least one image of the at least two fiducial marks provided on the electronic substrate;
analyzing the at least one image to determine the position of the electronic substrate in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ direction;
calculating the rotation angle of the electronic substrate;
A method of feeding material comprising rotating the electronic board to match the angle of the feed pump array. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising performing simultaneous dispense operations on said at least two identical patterns using said dispense pump array. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein said feed pump array comprises first and second feed pumps, said second feed pump being spaced a predetermined distance from said first feed pump. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising supplying material from the first and second supply pumps to the first location of each of the first and second patterns of the at least two identical patterns. Simultaneously move the first supply pump above the second location of the first pattern of the electronic substrate and the second supply pump above the second location of the second pattern of the electronic substrate. and supplying material from the first and second feed pumps to the second locations of each of the first and second patterns. The feed pump array is aligned with the electronic substrate in a single rotational degree of freedom, and if the feed system comprises multiple electronic substrates and multiple feed pump arrays, each feed pump array has its corresponding 16. The method of claim 15 aligned with an electronic substrate.

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